Package-fastening member.



W. M. CONRAD. PACKAGE FASTENING MEMBER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15,1908.

Patented Aug". 17,1909.

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. specification.

WARREN M. CONRAD, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS.

PACKAGE-FASTENING IVEEMBER.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

Application filed June 15, 1908. Serial No. v438,505.

T0 all 'whom it may concern: a

Be it knownthat I, WARREN M. CONRAD,

of Chelsea, in the county of Suffolk and'State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Package-FasteningMembers, of which the following is a This invention relates to ametallic member adapted to engage portions of a wrapping cord or strmg,and hold the latter in cone fining engagement with a parcel or package.-

The invention has for its object to provide a simple and effectivefastening member of this character adapted to securely grip the stringat a plurality of points, and in such manner as to securely hold thestring and prevent the slipping of the same without fraying or cuttingthe string, and therefore without weakening it. i

. The invention consists in the improved fastening member which I willnow proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 represents a plan view showing a parcel confined by a string,and a string-engaging member, embodying my invention. Fig. 2 representsan enlarged section on line 22of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a section online 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents a plan view of the blank from whichthe fastening'member, shown in Fig 1,is made. I

he same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

My improved fastening member is composed of a substantially flat plate12, preferably of sheet metal of sufficient thickness to afford therequisite stiffness. Portions of the margin of the plate are extended toform cars 13, which, in the blank shown in Fig. 4, radiate from thecenter of the plate, and are adapted to be bent over the body of theplate and overhang considerable portions of said body, as shown in Figs.1 and 2.

The inner side of each ear and the adjacent side of the portion of theplate overhung by the ear, constitute string-gripping jaws which areseparated by a contracted tapering throat opening inwardly toward thecenter of the plate. In other words, the months or open ends of thethroats are nearest the center of .....the plate so that the strainexerted on the stretches of string 14 engaged by said jaws tends to pullthe engaged portions of the string toward the closed ends of the saidthroats. The said jaws are more widely separated at the mouths of thethroats than at the closed ends, the jaws convergin from the mouths ofthe throats so that the t roats are tapered, as shown in Fig. 2. Eachcar 13 is provided with a longitudinal boss 15, which projects fromtheinner side of the ear toward the corresponding portion of the plate, andextends lengthwise of the ear, and

in this embodiment of my invention, from ts the neck portion of the eartoward the center of the plate. The portions of the plate which areoverhung by the-ears are provided with corresponding bosses 16, whichproject outwardly from the plate toward the cars,

and coincide with the bosses 15, each boss 15 and the corresponding boss16 forming the acting portions of a pair of string-gripping jaws, saidacting portions being of considerablyless width than the-ears, asindicated in- '15 Figs. 1 and 3, so that they are adaptedjto. indent,and therefore firmly grip the portion of string that is inserted betweenthe jaws.

By reference to Fig.14, which shows the blank from which the fasteningmember is made, it will be seen that the bosses 15 and 16 are formedbefore the ears are bent over the body of the late, the bosses 15 beingin alinement with t e bosses 16, and separated from the latter byportions 17 of the blank, I

which portions are practically'flat in cross section, and are,therefore, adapted to be bent to form the necks which connect the earswith the body of the plate, the flat form of the portionsl? enabling thesaid ortions to be as abru tly bent, as-to bring t e inner ends of theosses into close proximity to each other.

Fig. 1 shows a suitable engagement between the fastening member and astring 14 which embraces a arcel or ackage 20, one end of the stringeing re erably engaged with one of the pairs of aws before theapplication of the fastening member and string to the package. then laidflat upon one side of the ackage and the string is carried inonelirection' around the package between another pair of j awe, thenaround the package in a direction at right angles with the firstwrapping,' and then enga ed with the third pair of jaws.

find that the bite or grip exerted on the string by the bosses 1 5 and 16 enables the string to be securely held against longitudinal movementby being passed once between the jaws of each pair, although if desired,the string may be passed between each pair of iasrsonore The fasteningmember is 00 thanonce, thejaws being sufficiently elongated to permit ofthis. The opposed bosses are free fromsharp angles or corners liable toout or fray the string, so that the latter is I string tions.

plate so that when the device is in use the pair of jaws portion of alength of string while the other securely held without liability ofbeing weakened at the points where it is gripped, Either edge of eitherear 13 may be utilized for severing from the main body of string theportion that has been engaged with the arcel and the fastening member,the thin e ges of the. ears constituting somewhat blunt cutters on Whichthe string maybe severed by pulling it forcibly against one of saidedges.

The distance between the string-gripping p jaws formed by the bosses,and the edges, 0

the ears is such that the severance of the across one of said edges doesnot two pairs are adapted to grasp the end por- All the jaws are at oneside of the plate is entirely under all the portions of the 'strin whichare en a ed with it and no points,

parts of. the string are inter osed between the plate and the package. 7he fastener is therefore adapted to be quickly engaged with the string.by lateral movement of the string into the throats, no threading of thestring through openings in the platebeing required. The employment of a'sufiicient numberof jaws to gras the string at three vim-its centre andtwo end portions, enables the operator to engage the central portion ofthe string with the fastener l by forcing it laterally between'the jawsof one pair before applying the fastener to the ackage, the en portionsbeing subsequently engaged with the other jaws.

I claim:

A'pa'ekage fastening member formed from p a flat sheet metal'platehaving an approximately triangular ody ortion and ears at the angles,said ears an A body portion having bosses in alinement but separated byintermediate fiat. neck portions which are bent to cause the ears tooverhang the body of the plate, the ear bosses cooperating with the bodybosses in formin string-gripping jaws which are separator by contractedspaces or throats opening inwardly toward the center of the plate. I A

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

WARREN M. CONRAD. Witnesses C. F. BROWN,

- P. W. Pnzzn'r'rr.

